Area briefs

Published 6:30 am, Wednesday, January 21, 2004

Scam artists selling phony precious stones bilked a Pasadena woman out of more than $5,000 in cash and jewels, police said.

A man approached the 65-year-old woman Thursday at a store in the 5500 block of Fairmont Parkway and offered to sell her a bag of precious stones he claimed he found, police said.

A second man approached them and said he wanted to buy some of the stones. The woman drove both men to her home in the 1200 block of Taft and gave money and jewels to the first man. She later learned the stones were fake.

The men are described as Hispanic in their early to mid-20s with medium builds.

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Craddick recovering from neck surgery

AUSTIN -- Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick has undergone surgery to relieve pain in his neck, a spokesman said Tuesday.

Craddick, 60, of Midland plans to return to business at the state Capitol early next month, spokesman Bob Richter told the San Antonio Express-News.